Bond set in pursuit near Leesburg

WCH man allegedly fled at high speeds from deputies

Bond for a Washington C.H. man who allegedly led sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed chase that neared Leesburg was set at $15,000 this week in Washington Municipal Court.

Ronnie Lee Brill, 44, is being held in the Fayette County Jail following a pursuit that occurred the morning of July 28. On Monday in court, Brill waived his right to have a preliminary hearing, according to the court website.

At 11:22 a.m. July 28, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned citizen who reported a suspicious vehicle and person(s) at the Rental Storage Locker business, located on Greenfield-Sabina Road in the Village of New Martinsburg. When they arrived to check the complaint, deputies Andrew Parks and Jon Campbell reportedly saw a red Chevrolet Blazer matching the description provided by the caller.

The vehicle was departing the area of the storage lockers, according to Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, at a high rate of speed and did not stop before turning onto Greenfield-Sabina Road. Deputies said they observed the vehicle turn into a private drive at a high rate of speed.

As Parks activated his emergency lights, he reported that the driver of the vehicle failed to comply with the traffic stop and fled. Deputies pursued the vehicle in the area of Perry Township before entering SR 28 toward the Village of Leesburg.

Stanforth said the pursuit continued onto Barger Road off SR 28. The suspect vehicle allegedly failed to comply with the posted stop sign at the intersection of Barger and Stafford roads in Green Township, just north of Highland County, and continued, reportedly passing several motorists at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle turned north on U.S. Route 62 from Barger Road and was stopped shortly thereafter by deputies in the area of U.S. Route 62 and Greenfield-Sabina Road, according to Stanforth.

The driver was taken into custody and identified as Ronnie Lee Brill. A passenger in Brill’s vehicle was briefly detained, but was not charged and later was released.

Deputies reported observing a change in Brill’s mental status during their contact with him, and discovered that he had a clear plastic baggie in his mouth that allegedly contained an unknown substance that he ingested. After arriving at the sheriff’s office, Fayette County EMS was summoned to check on Brill, but he reportedly refused treatment.

Brill was charged with fleeing and eluding, a third-degree felony; tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; driving under suspension; speeding (90/55); and a stop sign violation.